Personal Data Protection and Cookies Policy
Last updated: 16.10.2026
Protecting your privacy is important to us. When operating the Open Slovakia Academy website and communicating with people interested in our educational stays, we process personal data in accordance with applicable legislation, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council (General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR) and Slovak Act No. 18/2018 Coll. on Personal Data Protection, as amended.
This policy explains what personal data we process, why we use it, how long we retain it, and what rights you have in relation to its processing.
1. Who processes your personal data?
The controller of the website https://openslovakiaacademy.com is:
Legal business name or full name: [insert the controller’s full legal name]
Trading name: Open Slovakia Academy
Registered office or place of business: Hámor 27/38, 053 75 Hnilec, Slovak Republic
Company ID (IČO): [insert, if assigned]
Email: info@openslovakiaacademy.com
Telephone: +421 917 043 878
In this policy, we refer to the controller as “the controller”, “we” or “us”.
If you have any questions about the processing of your personal data, you can contact us using the email address provided above.
2. What personal data do we process?
The scope of personal data we process depends on how you contact us and which services you use.
We may process the following categories of personal data:
Identification data: first name and surname.
Contact details: email address and telephone number.
Communication content: information you provide in a message, email or telephone conversation.
Information relating to requested services: details needed to prepare an offer or organise an educational stay, such as preferred dates, group size and programme requirements.
Technical data: information recorded when you use the website, where applicable, such as your IP address, access time and technical information about your browser, if collected by our systems or hosting provider.
Please do not send sensitive personal data or detailed personal information about children through the general contact form unless such information is strictly necessary to handle your enquiry.
3. Why and on what legal basis do we process personal data?
We process personal data only for specific purposes and on an appropriate legal basis under the GDPR.
Handling enquiries and contact forms
When you contact us through the contact form, by email or by telephone, we use your data to respond to your enquiry, clarify your requirements and provide information about our services.
Legal basis: Depending on the circumstances, processing may be necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, under Article 6(1)(b) GDPR, or necessary for our legitimate interests in handling general enquiries and communicating with interested parties, under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.
Preparing offers and organising educational stays
We use personal data to prepare individual offers, communicate with schools and partners, and arrange the agreed services relating to educational stays, Erasmus+ mobilities and associated activities.
Legal basis: Taking steps at your request before entering into a contract or performing a contract, pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) GDPR.
Compliance with legal obligations
We may process certain data for accounting, record-keeping and compliance with other obligations imposed by law.
Legal basis: Compliance with a legal obligation under Article 6(1)(c) GDPR.
Security and protection of our rights
Where necessary, we may process data to protect the website, prevent misuse, address security incidents, and establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
Legal basis: Our legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.
Cookies and analytics tools
If our website uses optional analytics, marketing or other non-essential cookies for which consent is required, we will use them only after you have given your consent.
Legal basis: Your consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR and the applicable provisions of Slovak Act No. 452/2021 Coll. on Electronic Communications.
You may withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.
4. Are you required to provide personal data?
Providing personal data is generally voluntary. However, if you do not provide the information necessary to handle your enquiry, we may be unable to respond or prepare the requested offer.
If providing certain data is necessary to enter into or perform a contract, we will explain this to you at the relevant stage of the process.
5. Who may receive your personal data?
We do not sell your personal data. We may disclose it, to the extent necessary and on an appropriate legal basis, to the following categories of recipients:
Website hosting providers, email service providers and technical maintenance providers.
Accounting or legal service providers, where necessary.
Contractual partners providing accommodation, transport, educational activities or other services, where necessary to prepare an offer or deliver an agreed stay.
Public authorities, where disclosure is required by law.
Where external providers process personal data on our behalf, we implement appropriate contractual and organisational measures in accordance with the GDPR.
The specific recipients depend on the technical configuration of the website and the services you request.
6. Transfers of personal data to third countries
We primarily process personal data within the European Economic Area (EEA).
If the use of a particular external service involves transferring personal data to a country outside the EEA, we will ensure that the transfer complies with the GDPR, for example on the basis of an adequacy decision or appropriate contractual safeguards.
Information about specific transfers and the safeguards used is available upon request.
7. How long do we retain personal data?
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected or for the period required by law.
Unsuccessful enquiries and requests: Generally, no longer than 12 months after the last communication, unless longer retention is necessary for another lawful reason.
Contracts and completed educational stays: For the period necessary to perform the contract and subsequently for the periods required by applicable legislation.
Accounting and tax documents: For the periods prescribed by applicable laws.
Legal claims: For as long as necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, taking into account the circumstances and applicable limitation periods.
Technical and security logs: For the period necessary to maintain the operation and security of the relevant systems, according to their configuration.
Cookie consent records: In accordance with their purpose, the settings of the relevant cookies and the validity period of the consent.
Once the relevant retention period has expired, we will delete or anonymise the data unless further retention is required by law or another legitimate basis.
8. What are your rights?
Subject to the conditions set out in the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding the processing of your personal data:
Right of access – You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain access to the data and relevant information about its processing.
Right to rectification – You may request the correction of inaccurate or the completion of incomplete personal data.
Right to erasure – In the circumstances prescribed by law, you may request the deletion of your personal data.
Right to restriction of processing – In certain circumstances, you may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
Right to data portability – Where provided for by the GDPR, you may request your data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
Right to object – Where we process your data on the basis of legitimate interests, you may object to the processing on grounds relating to your particular situation.
Right to withdraw consent – Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
Right to lodge a complaint – If you believe that your personal data has been processed in violation of your rights, you may contact the competent supervisory authority.
You may exercise your rights by emailing info@openslovakiaacademy.com.
We will generally respond to your request within one month of receiving it. In justified cases, this period may be extended in accordance with the GDPR.
To protect your personal data, we may ask you to provide additional information necessary to verify your identity.
Supervisory authority
Office for Personal Data Protection of the Slovak Republic
(Urad na ochranu osobných údajov Slovenskej republiky)
Galvaniho Business Centrum II
Galvaniho 7/B
821 04 Bratislava
Slovak Republic
Website: https://dataprotection.gov.sk/
9. Security of personal data
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, alteration or disclosure.
Access to personal data is restricted to individuals and service providers who need it to perform their duties. We regularly review and adapt our security measures to the scope of the data processed and the nature of the relevant services.
10. Use of cookies
Cookies are small text files that may be stored on your device when you visit a website. They can help the website function properly, remember certain settings or collect information about how the website is used.
Depending on their purpose, cookies may fall into the following categories:
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are required for the basic operation of the website, its security or the storage of your cookie consent preferences. Without them, some essential website functions may not work properly.
Consent is generally not required for cookies that are strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the user.
Functional cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember certain preferences, such as language or display settings. Where they are not strictly necessary, they are used only in accordance with applicable rules and after obtaining consent where required.
Analytics cookies
These cookies may be used to measure website traffic, identify the pages visitors use and understand how visitors interact with the website. They can help us evaluate and improve the website’s content and functionality.
Where such cookies are used and consent is required, they will only be activated after you have given your consent.
Marketing cookies
These cookies may be used to track visitors across websites or display relevant marketing content. If such cookies are used on our website and consent is required, they will only be activated after you have given your consent.
Important: The categories above describe possible types of cookies. Before publishing this policy, we must verify which cookies the Open Slovakia Academy website actually uses and amend this section to reflect the website’s real technical configuration.
Managing and changing your cookie preferences
When you first visit the website, we will display cookie settings if the website uses cookies for which consent is required. You will be able to choose which optional categories you allow.
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings on the website.
You can also manage cookies through your internet browser settings, where you can delete existing cookies or restrict their storage. However, disabling certain cookies may affect how the website functions.
The detailed list of cookies used, including their names, providers, purposes and retention periods, must reflect the actual configuration of the website.
11. Third-party services and embedded content
The website may use external services, for example services required for its technical operation, the display of content or website traffic analysis.
When external elements load, the relevant provider may receive certain technical information, such as your IP address or browser information.
If an external service uses cookies or other technologies for which consent is required, we will activate it only after obtaining the necessary consent. The specific services and providers used must be identified according to the website’s current configuration.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, particularly when there are changes to legislation, the technical configuration of the website or the way personal data is processed.
The latest version will always be published on this page.
If you have any questions about personal data protection, please contact us at info@openslovakiaacademy.com.